Poll

Government

A public hearing on the Bedford County budget, including the real estate tax rate, is scheduled for April 13, but that tax rate won’t be any higher than the current 52 cents per $100 in assessed value. When asked after a lengthy budget work session, Monday night, the supervisors said increasing the tax rate is not on the table for discussion.
What was on the table for discussion was where the public hearing will be held. Some supervisors noted that their regular meeting chamber will probably not provide adequate space.

A representative of the Bedford County Education Association (BCEA) called on the supervisors to support teacher pay raises, even if a tax hike is needed.
Chad Honeycutt, who works as a special education aid at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, made the presentation during a work session. Honeycutt is working as an aid while he completes the college courses necessary for teacher certification, part of a career transition.
“Our school system is dreadfully underfunded,” Honeycutt said.

Next Tuesday, Feb. 24, Bedford area residents will be able to tell town council what they feel about a proposed 4 percent increase to their electric rates, set to take effect March 1.
A public hearing on the proposed increase will be held during the council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers of the Municipal Building.

The courthouse roof leaks and Sheldon Cash, director of public works, came before the supervisors with the result of the latest rebid to fix the problem.

Cash said there are major leaks around the bell tower, which has had little done to it since the courthouse was built in the 1930s. The lowest responsible bid to correct the problem came in from Jamerson-Lewis Construction, of Lynchburg, at $637,000. Cash said $10,000 extra would be needed to replace the cupola in copper, as it now is.

Bedford County’s planning commission has scheduled a public hearing on a revision of the county’s comprehensive plan. Each locality is required by state law to develop a comprehensive plan and periodically update it. The county adopted its current plan in 2007.

Bedford County’s supervisors got some good news, with caveats, Monday evening at a budget work session.
County Administrator Mark Reeter told the supervisors projected revenue for the county is $91.25 million and budget requests come in at $91.2 million. This leaves the budget $50,000 in the black.
Now, for the caveats.

last week, rezoned property on Edmund Street from Planned Residential District (PRD) to Commercial (M-1).
The move clears the way for Walter Siehien, owner of Blue Ridge Optics, to build a new facility to expand his business. Blue Ridge Optics makes optics that send laser beams precisely where engineers want them to go. These optics are used in defense, medical and industrial applications.